1855 - H. McKenna, an Immigrant from County Derry, Ireland,
founds a distillery in Fairfield, Kentucky to use
excess grain from his flour mill. It had a capacity of
less than one barrel a day and McKenna put an emphasis
on quality, not quantity of his whiskey (Courier-
Journal, Feb. 18, 1934).

o - The first whiskey made was a weat whiskey. McKenna did
his own diatilling with the help of a slave. (Kentucky
Standard, April 15,1976).

1934 - H McKenna distillery is re-opened after prohibition
with James S and Stafford E McKenna in charge. The pre
-prohibition distiller, Coleman Bixler (Bixler followed
Sweeny as distiller) is re-hired. The distillery has a
20 barrels per day capacity and a 8,000 barrel storage
capacity (Courier-Journal, Feb. 18, 1934). Dr. Henry
McKenna, James' son is the plant manager (Kentucky
Standard, April 15, 1976).

early 1980's - Seagrams sells the domestic label to Heaven
Hill but continues to make the Henry McKenna bourbon
for the export market. They make it at the Four Roses
distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (Mary Hite, Getz
Museum, 12/2/93).

The Filson has a collection of papers from John Jefferson. He was an avid scrapbook and diary person and we have most of his diaries from about 1856 to about 1912. His family owned several plots of reral estate and a store on Market Street called the Old Blue House. When Jefferson's father died in 1881, the store was sold to Henry McKenna.